For Sale: Borden Murder Case Collection

[John Watson]

For 40 years, I've been collecting books on famous murder cases, and now I'm in the process of selling my library. Many of the books pertain to Lizzie Borden and the Borden Murder Case, and I'm attaching a list of some of them. The list includes detailed descriptions of each book along with the price I'm asking. Unless otherwise noted, these books are in excellent condition, and I will furnish photographs by Email upon request. Payment by PayPal, and shipment by insured mail unless otherwise requested. If you're interested in any - or all - of the books, please let me know.

1. Michael Martins and Dennis Binette, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs. Lizzie A. Borden: The Knowlton Papers 1892-1893; Fall River Historical Society, 1994; 554 gilt-edged pages; 9-1/4 x 6-1/4 x 2-1/2" ; maroon cloth binding, gilt lettering. Book is in like-new condition, jacket in very good condition with only a slight tear at top of back and a few areas of very minor edge wear. First and only edition of this scarce title, no reprints, considered a "must" for Borden scholars. $200

2. Leonard Rebello, Lizzie Borden Past & Present, Al-Zach Press, Fall River MA, 1999; 642 pp; 10-1/4" x 8-1/4" ; dark blue cloth binding, silver lettering. Book in as-new condition, jacket same. This is a virtual encyclopedia of all aspects of the murder, trial and aftermath, considered by Borden scholars as the "bible" of the Borden case. Only one edition of this title, no reprints, becoming very scarce. $150

3. Jules R. Ryckebusch, The Legend 100 Years After the Crime - A Conference on the Lizzie Borden Case: Proceedings, King Philip Publishing Co., Maine, 1993; 373 pages; 9-1/4" x 6-1/4" ; pale green cloth cover with gilt decoration and lettering, cream-colored illustrated jacket. Book is in as-new condition, jacket lightly soiled in spots, else very good. $40

4. Edwin H. Porter, The Fall River Tragedy: A History of the Borden Murders, King Philip Publishing Co., Maine, 1985; First limited edition of this facsimile of the rare 1893 first edition published by Geo. R. H. Buffington, Fall River MA; 312 pages, with many photo illustrations; 9-1/4" x 6" ; quality dark-green library binding with gilt lettering, issued without jacket, as original. Porter covered the murder and trial as a reporter for the Fall River Globe and was the first to publish a full study of the case. Copies of the original edition are extremely rare, and the facsimile, limited to 1,000 copies, is fast becoming scarce. In mint condition. $70

5. Robert A. Flynn, The Borden Murders: An Annotated Bibliography, King Philip Publishing Co., Maine, 1992; Limited first edition (1000 copies) of which this is No. 140, signed by the author; 113 pp; 9-1/4" x 6-1/4" ; red cloth binding with gilt lettering. Book in fine condition, issued with no jacket. Excellent resource for the Borden collector. $20

6. Arthur S. Phillips, The Borden Murder Mystery: In Defense of Lizzie Borden, King Philip Publishing Co., Maine, 1986; a "first facsimile abstract edition" limited to 750 copies of which this is No. 406, signed by Robert A. Flynn; 29pp; 9-1/4 x 6-1/4 ; red cloth binding with gilt lettering. Book in fine condition, issued without jacket. Contains excerpts of writings of Phillips who was one of Lizzie's defense attorneys. Flynn considered these writings very important to the study of the Borden case. $20

7. Todd Lunday, The Mystery Unveiled: The Truth About the Borden Tragedy, King Philip Publishing Co., Maine, 1990; limited facsimile edition (1000 copies) of the extremely rare original first edition published by J.A. & R.A. Reid, Providence RI, 1893; 56 pp; pocket-sized (6 1/2" X 5") stiffened paperback, as original. The name "Lunday" is supposed to be a pseudonym for the author who has never been identified. The facsimile is of a copy of the book owned by Rufus B. Hilliard, Fall River Town Marshal who arrested Lizzie for the murders and whose signature is found at the top of page 5. The author's knowledge of the law and crime detection leads Robert A. Flynn to suspect a "frustrated" Fall River police official as the writer. Could it have been Hilliard? Book in as-new condition with only slight fading of cream-colored covering. $25

8. The Illustrated American, Vol. XII, No. 5, for the week ending September 17, 1892. Contains a 5-page article on the Borden trial, "Lizzie Borden's Ordeal - An examination which may find a victim if not the murderer," beautifully illustrated with many fine original drawings by the magazine's "Special Artist," and two large-size photos of the Borden home. Many of these drawings have been used to illustrate later treatments of the crime in books and magazines, but nothing beats the original! My copy of this rare magazine, measuring 13" x 9-1/2", is clean and tight, page quality very good, with no defects except for some ragged spots along the side edge of the back cover. Best offer.

[jorgea]

That is quite a collection. I am surprised that you are even considering selling this nice collection

[MysteryReader]

UUnless I missed my guess, book number 2 is what everyone is wanting... I just wish I had the money.

[twinsrwe]

You are correct, MysteryReader, book number 2 is the 'bible' of the Borden Case. It is extremely hard to find, and if you do happen to find it, it will cost you an arm and a leg!

The 4th book listed, is the book which Lizzie allegedly bought and burned all but 25 subscription copies. However, no evidence to support this theory has ever surfaced.

If you wish to read the book then you can do so, for free, by downloading it in PDF format at the Lizzie Borden Virtual Library:

http://lizzieandrewborden.com/Resources ... dBooks.htm

[MysteryReader]

You are correct, MysteryReader, book number 2 is the 'bible' of the Borden Case. It is extremely hard to find, and if you do happen to find it, it will cost you an arm and a leg!

The 4th book listed, is the book which Lizzie allegedly bought and burned all but 25 subscription copies. However, no evidence to support this theory has ever surfaced.

If you wish to read the book then you can do so, for free, by downloading it in PDF format at the Lizzie Borden Virtual Library:

http://lizzieandrewborden.com/Resources ... dBooks.htm

Thanks, Franz!!

[twinsrwe]

You're welcome, MysteryReader, but I'm not Franz - I'm twinsrwe.

[MysteryReader]

You're welcome, MysteryReader, but I'm not Franz - I'm twinsrwe.

So sorry, Twinsrwe!

[twinsrwe]

No Problem, we all make mistakes.

I hope you enjoy Edwin Porter's, The Fall River Tragedy: A History of the Borden Murders.

[MysteryReader]

I do look forward to reading it.